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Got an offer from a mid-size firm 3 weeks after an OCI screener, with no CB. Besides the fact that they are a mid-size firm, is it safe to say that the lack of a CB indicates that they are probably not interested in hiring me with a view of giving me a full offer at the end of the summer?

I can't imagine any firm would hire any SA without anticipating offering a full time position - it's a lot of resources for them to bring you on during the summer. Maybe they just thought you were so awesome that they didn't need to do a CB?

Anonymous User wrote:I can't imagine any firm would hire any SA without anticipating offering a full time position - it's a lot of resources for them to bring you on during the summer. Maybe they just thought you were so awesome that they didn't need to do a CB?

The 3 week wait seemed odd--if I really did blow away the screener, you'd think I would have gotten an offer within a couple of days. Moreover, I didn't get CB's at any other firm I interviewed with, leading me to believe that my interview skills suck.

It just seems that if a firm was really interested in hiring a summer with a view of turning them into a full-time associate, they would want to see how they fit in with the firm culture. Thus, no CB seems to indicate that they're only interested in keeping them around for the summer (since fit isn't really an issue for a 3 month employee), and not really looking to hire me full time.

Also, FWIW, the pay is significantly below big firm $$. They actually offered me less than I was getting paid as a legal assistant before law school, so it doesn't sound like they're really making such a big investment.

It doesn't sound like a question that they would answer very candidly. I doubt they'll have an offer rate that they can quote. They'll give some anecdotal stories about how this and that person was hired as an associate after their 2L summer, how they "strive to make a full offer to qualified students," and then conveniently forget to mention the other 60% of clerks that they used for a summer of motion writing before saying goodbye.

Anonymous User wrote:I can't imagine any firm would hire any SA without anticipating offering a full time position - it's a lot of resources for them to bring you on during the summer. Maybe they just thought you were so awesome that they didn't need to do a CB?

It definitely happens. At my school, quite a few of the OCI interviewers said that they didn't really use their program to hire full-time associate but instead used it to give the SAs an "experience." In fact, one of the interviewers specifically said that his firm would hire 5-6 SAs and would probably hire 2 full-time associates after the summer -- but that, most likely, neither one of them would be from the summer class.

I agree that they wouldn't likely bother hiring an SA if they didn't intend to at least consider you for a FT position. If they just needed some help over the summer, they could just get a volunteer intern- especially in this market.

Also, since you mentioned you struck out at OCI otherwise, do you really have any other options? It sounds like you should accept the offer and then spend the summer working your tail off to try to make yourself invaluable.

You should just ask what type of position this is for, what they generally do with their summer associates, what their plan for you is and what you can expect coming into it. I had a similar situation in my 1L summer and the firm was candid that I was an unusual hire, but that they might be interested in keeping me on - and I do now have an informal offer to return, if I'd like.

Sounds questionable. Besides, if you're not all that excited about it, you're not going to bring your "A game."

Also, it pays less than you were making as a legal assistant before? Believe me, even if they do give you a permanent slot, they're not going to increase your pay. Unless you wanna have your law school education result in a net loss for your salary, I'd take a pass and pursue additional channels.